Upgradeable telecommunications patch panel and method of upgrading same

ABSTRACT

An upgradeable patch panel assembly and associated method of upgrading a patch panel assembly. The upgradeable patch panel assembly including a panel base having an aperture sized to receive a scanner interface cable. The method including removing a first cover from the panel base, inserting a scanner interface cable through the existing aperture in the panel base, and attached an upgraded cover to the panel base. Upgrading the patch panel assembly is completed while the assembly remains mounted to a frame and without disconnecting rear cable connections. The upgraded patch panel assembly provides jack-occupancy monitoring capabilities.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/355,268,filed Jan. 16, 2009, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.11/973,337, filed Oct. 5, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,479,032, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/851,002,filed Oct. 10, 2006, and U.S. provisional application Ser. No.60/856,384, filed Nov. 1, 2006, which applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to methods and devices for use in thetelecommunications industry. More specifically, this disclosure relatesto methods and devices for patch panel systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Local Area Networks and telecommunications connections often use patchpanels, especially at the customer's premises to enable cross-connectionbetween telecommunications equipment. Patch panels typically includefront and rear connection locations. The rear connections are typicallya more permanent type of connection, such as an insulation displacementconnector that connects to a copper based, twisted pairtelecommunications cable. The front connection locations of the patchpanel may include any of a variety of jacks, which allows fairly rapidconnection and disconnection between two jacks in the same patch panel,or between one jack in the patch panel and another jack in a nearbypatch panel via a patch cord.

In most applications, numerous patch panels are provided to accommodatea significant number of interconnections that must be made. Managing thesystem requires monitoring the availability and occupancy of theconnection locations. In conventional patch panel arrangements, theavailability/occupancy of the front connection locations of a patchpanel or patch panel system is manually or physically monitored. Suchmethods of management can be improved; the improvement preferably beingeffected in a cost efficient and time-saving manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One feature of the present disclosure relates to a method and devicethat permits a user to upgrade an existing patch panel assembly to apatch panel assembly having monitoring capabilities.

A variety of examples of desirable product features or methods are setforth in part in the description that follows, and in part will beapparent from the description, or may be learned by practicing variousaspects of the disclosure. The aspects of the disclosure may relate toindividual features as well as combinations of features. It is to beunderstood that both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description are explanatory only, and are not restrictive ofthe claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a patch panel assembly, inaccordance with the principles disclosed.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a panel base of the patch panelassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the panel base of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a jack of the patch panel assembly ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the jack of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a jack plug used with the patch panelassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of a cover of the patch panel assemblyof FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the cover of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the cover of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of another portion of the cover ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the panel base ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged detail view of another portion of the panel baseof FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a cable manager of the patch panelassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the cable manager of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of an upgraded patch panel assembly,in accordance with the principles disclosed;

FIG. 16 is a exploded, front perspective view of the upgraded patchpanel assembly of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a front elevation view of a cover of the upgraded patch panelassembly of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a rear elevation view of the cover of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a further exploded, front perspective view of the upgradedpatch panel assembly of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a rear perspective view of the upgraded patch panel assemblyof FIG. 15; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a connector used with the upgradedpatch panel assembly of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates a patch panel assembly 10 in accordance with theprinciples disclosed. The assembly 10 includes a cover 12 (e.g., faciaor front plate), a panel base or frame 14, and a cable manager 16.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the panel base 14 has a front 18 (FIG. 2), arear 20 (FIG. 3), and opposing sides 22, 24. Mounting flanges 26, 28 arelocated at the sides 22, 24 of the panel base. In use, the patch panelassembly 10 is typically mounted by the mounting flanges 26, 28 to aframe or telecommunications structure 30 (shown schematically in FIG.1), such as a rack, for example. The patch panel assembly can also bemounted to or within other types of structures, such as enclosures orcabinets, for instance.

Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the panel base 14 defines a pluralityof openings 32. The openings 32 are sized to receive jacks 34 (FIG. 4).In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 32 are provided in astaggered arrangement; that is, two rows of spaced apart openings: thespaced apart openings 32 of one row being offset from the spaced apartopenings 32 of the other row. The staggered arrangement reduceshigh-frequency interference between the individual jacks 34 of theassembly.

The jacks 34 can be RJ style jacks, such as RJ 45 jacks, for example.Other types of jacks can be also be used in accordance with theprinciples discloses. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the details of one typeof RJ 45 jack 34 that is used in the present assembly. In theillustrated embodiment, the jack 34 includes a two-piece dielectrichousing 66 and a printed circuit board 68 having insulation displacementcontacts ID1-ID8. The housing 66 defines a front port 36. The insulationdisplacement contacts ID1-ID8 are accessible from the rear of thehousing 66 and define rear connection locations 106 (see FIG. 20).Further details of one RJ 45 jack embodiment that can be used in thepresent patch cord assembly are provided in U.S. application Ser. No.11/583,995, which application is incorporated herein by reference.

The jacks 34 of the present patch cord assembly 10 are each positionedwithin the openings 32 (FIG. 2) of the panel base 14 such that the frontport 36 of the jack 34 faces toward the front 18 of the panel base (seeFIG. 16, for example). The front port 36 of each jack 34 is sized andconfigured to receive a jack plug 38 (e.g. a patch cord connector) (FIG.6).

Referring to FIG. 6, the jack plug 38 has a first structural plugconfiguration defined by an insertion end 40 of the plug 38. The plug 38includes a flexible snap-fit tab 42. The insertion end 40 inserts orplugs into the front port 36 of the jack 34 and detachably secures inplace by the snap-fit tab 42.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, the cover 12 of the patch cordassembly 10 is a first removable cover. In one embodiment, the cover 12is made of plastic. The removable cover 12 secures to the front 18 ofthe panel base 14 by first and second attachments 44, 46 (FIGS. 9-12).The first attachment 44 includes first and second hooks or catchelements 48 formed on the cover 12 (FIGS. 7 and 10) that engagecorresponding hooks or catch elements 50 (FIGS. 3 and 12) formed on thepanel base 14. The elements 48, 50 of the first attachment 44 functionas a hinge such that the cover 12 hinges at the one side (e.g. 22) ofthe panel base 14.

The second attachment 46 includes a flexible retaining clip or latch 52(FIGS. 8 and 9) that engages a corresponding aperture 54 (FIGS. 2 and11). In the illustrated embodiment, the latch 52 (FIG. 8) is provided onthe cover 12 while the aperture is formed in the panel base 14 (FIG. 2).In the alternative, the latch may be provided on the panel base and theaperture formed in the cover. The latch 52 snap-fits within the aperture54 to releasably secure the cover 12 to the front 18 of the panel base14 when the cover is hinged to a closed position.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 7, the cover 12 defines a plurality ofjack openings 56. The jack openings 56 provide access to the front ports36 of the jacks 34 located within the openings 32 of the panel base 14.

As shown in FIG. 7, each of the jack openings 56 defined by the firstcover 12 is constructed to receive the plug 38 having the firststructural plug configuration. In particular, the openings 56 generallyhave a larger rectangular upper opening portion 58 and a smallerrectangular lower opening portion 60. This arrangement corresponds tothe footprint, or the first structural plug configuration, of theinsertion end 40 of the jack plug 38 (FIG. 6).

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 13, and 14, the cable manager 16 of the patchpanel assembly 10 is attached to the rear 20 of the panel base 14. Inparticular, latching clips 94 formed on arms 96 of the cable manager 16engage corresponding structure 108 (FIG. 1) of the panel base 14 tosecure the manager 16 to the rear 20 of the panel base 14. The cablemanager 16 includes a plurality of guide structures 62 (FIG. 1) thatorganize cables 64 (shown schematically) interconnected to the jacks 34.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the patchpanel assembly 10 of FIG. 1 is an upgradeable patch panel assembly. Inparticular, the patch panel assembly 10 is configured to permit a userto upgrade the patch panel assembly with scanner management technology.Referring again to FIG. 2, the panel base 14 includes an upgrade orconversion aperture 70 located adjacent to the staggered rows ofopenings 32 (see also FIG. 16). The conversion aperture 70 extendsthrough the panel base 14 in a direction from the front 18 to the rear20. The conversion aperture 70 is sized and configured to receive ascanner interface cable 184 (FIG. 16) when the patch panel assembly isupgraded. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the patch panelassembly 10 is not upgraded; accordingly, the conversion aperture 70 isvoid of any components or elements passing through the aperture, asdepicted in FIG. 2.

One feature of the present upgradeable patch panel assembly 10 is thatthe upgrade can be accomplished without removing or un-mounting theassembly 10 from the frame 30. Moreover, the cables 64 that interconnectto the jacks 34 need not be disconnected from or re-wired to the jacks.The present upgradeable patch panel assembly accordingly saves asignificant amount of time and labor in completing a system upgrade, inaddition to reducing system down time during the upgrade.

To upgrade the patch panel assembly 10 of FIG. 1, the jack plugs 38(FIG. 6) having the first structural plug configuration are unpluggedfrom the front ports 36 (FIG. 4) of the jacks 34. The cover 12 is thenremoved from the front 18 of the panel base 14. The cover 12 can beremoved by flexing the latch 52 (FIG. 9) of the second attachment 46 torelease the latch 52 from the aperture 54 (FIG. 11) of the panel base14, and hinging the cover 12 away from the panel base 14 such that thecatch elements 48, 50 of the first attachment 44 disengage.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, an upgrade assembly 104 is installed tothe existing panel base 14 to provide an upgraded patch panel assembly100 having monitoring capabilities. The upgrade assembly 104 includesthe scanner interface cable 184 and a second upgraded cover 112 thatattaches to the front 18 of the panel base 14.

The upgraded cover 112 of the assembly 100 is a removable cover securedto the front 18 of the panel base 14 by first and second attachments(e.g., elements 148, 50 and latch 152 and aperture 54; partly shown inFIGS. 17-19). The first and second attachments are the same as thosedescribed with respect to the first cover 12. In one embodiment, theupgraded cover 112 is made of plastic. The upgraded cover 112 alsodefines a plurality of jack openings 156. The jack openings 156 provideaccess to the front ports 36 of the jacks 34 located within the openings32 of the panel base 14.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the jack openings 156 defined by theupgraded cover 112 are constructed to receive upgraded jack plugs 138(FIG. 21) having a second structural plug configuration that isdifferent from the first structural plug configuration of the first jackplug 38 (FIG. 6). In particular, the openings 156 of the second cover112 generally have a larger rectangular upper opening portion 158 and asmaller rectangular lower opening portion 160. The openings 156 furtherdefine an offset notch 172 extending from the larger rectangular upperopening portion 158 of the opening. The notch 172 is sized toaccommodate and receive a contact element 174 (FIG. 21) provided on theupgraded plug 138.

Referring now to FIG. 21, the contact element 174 of the upgraded jackplug 138 is located at an insertion end 140 of the plug 138. The contactelement 174 partly defines the second different structural plugconfiguration. Similar to the first plug 38, the insertion end 140 ofthe upgraded plug 138 includes a flexible snap-fit tab 142. Theinsertion end 140 inserts or plugs into the front port 36 of the jack 34and detachably secures in place by the snap-fit tab 142. The upgradedjack plugs 138 are configured for use with the same jacks 34 as those towhich the first jack plugs interconnect.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 19, the upgraded cover 112 of the assembly100 includes a printed circuit board 176. The printed circuit board 176is attached to or held against the rear side 178 of the upgraded cover112 such that the printed circuit board 176 is positioned between theupgraded cover 112 and the panel base 14 when the cover is attached tothe panel base 14. The printed circuit board 176 includes a plurality ofholes or openings 180. The openings 180 are sized and arranged to permitthe jack plugs 138 to pass through the circuit board 176 to engage thejacks 34 secured in the openings 32 of the panel base 14.

The printed circuit board 176 of the upgraded cover 112 includes aplurality of electrical contacts 182. In the illustrated embodiment, theelectrical contacts 182 are located such that the electrical contacts182 are accessible through the offset notches 172 of the openings 156 inthe cover 112. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, thecontact elements 174 of the upgraded plugs 138 contact the electricalcontacts 182 of the printed circuit board 176 to indicate the presenceof the plug 138 in the jack 34.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 20, the scanner interface cable 184 has afirst end 186 and a second end 188. The first end 186 electricallycouples to the printed circuit board 176, either directly or via a firstinterface connector (not shown). The second end 188 includes a secondinterface connector 192. When upgrading the patch panel assembly, thesecond end 188 the interface cable 184 is inserted through the existingconversion aperture 70 of the panel base 14. The existing conversionaperture 70 is accordingly sized to permit the passage of the secondinterface connector 192. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondinterface connector 192 of the cable 184 is a ribbon cable connector.The ribbon cable connector 192 interconnects to a scanner lead 102 (FIG.20), which in turn connects to a scanning device 110 (schematicallyrepresented).

As previously described, to upgrade the patch panel assembly 10 of FIG.1, the plugs 38 are unplugged from the jacks 34 of the assembly and thecover 12 removed. The upgrade assembly 104 is then installed by firstpositioning the second end 188 of the scanner interface cable 184through the conversion aperture 70 of the panel base 14. With theinterface cable 184 positioned through the existing aperture 70 of thepanel base 14, the upgraded cover 112 is attached to the front 18 of thepanel base 14, as previously described with respect to the first cover.As shown in FIG. 20, the scanner interface cable 184 can be routedthrough cable guide structure 190 formed in the cable manager 16 andpositioned at the rear of the assembly 100 for interconnection to thescanner device 110.

To complete the upgrade of the assembly, the upgraded jack plugs 138 areinserted within the openings 156 of the cover 112. When the upgradedjack plug 138 engages or snap-fits to the jacks 34, the contact elements174 (FIG. 21) of the upgraded plug 138 contacts the electrical contacts182 provided on the printed circuit board 176 (FIG. 19) to establish anelectrical connection. In the illustrated embodiment, a detent 198 (FIG.19) is provided on the electrical contact 182 to ensure such contact orconnection.

The upgraded patch panel assembly 100 is now enhanced with scannermanagement technology provided in part by the connection between thecontact element 174 of the plug 138 and the electrical contact 182 ofthe printed circuit board 176. That is, the occupancy of each individualjack 34 can now be monitored by way of the connection between theelement 174 and the electrical contact 182. The scanner interface cable184 transfers the occupancy information to the scanner device 110. Thisinformation is useful to a user in managing system connectionsavailability. In particular, a user can collect and monitoroccupancy/availability information of the patch panel connectionswithout having to manually or physically inspect how many jack ports arein use.

In the illustrated embodiment, the upgraded patch panel assembly 100includes light emitting diodes 115 (FIG. 15) that illuminate to indicatethat a particular patch panel port or jack is occupied. In instanceswhere visual inspection of the patch panel assembly 100 is necessary,the illuminated diodes aids in directing the user's attention to theoccupied jack ports.

The patch panel assembly of FIG. 1 offers the adaptability to upgrade toscanner management technology while minimizing the impact of theupgrade. That is, the present upgradeable patch panel assembly 10 can beupgraded without removing or un-mounting the assembly 10 from the frame,and does not require rear cable disconnection or re-wiring. The presentupgradeable patch panel assembly accordingly minimizing the impact of anupgrade by reducing the time and labor needed to complete the upgrade,and by reducing system down time during the upgrade.

The above specification provides a complete description of the presentinvention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, certain aspects ofthe invention reside in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. (canceled)
 2. A system, comprising: a) a telecommunications patchpanel, including: i) a panel body having a front and a rear; ii) aplurality of jacks mounted to the panel body; iii) a cover attached tothe front of the panel body, the cover defining jack openings thatprovide access to the jacks; and iv) a printed circuit board positionedat a rearward side of the cover, the cover including contacts thatindicate receipt of a plug within an associated one of the jackopenings; b) an interface cable routed through the telecommunicationspatch panel, the interface cable having a first end and a second end,the first end being coupled to the printed circuit board at the front ofthe panel body, the second end being located at the rear of the panelbody, the interface cable providing jack-occupancy monitoringcapabilities; and c) a cable manager located adjacent to the rear of thepanel body.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first end of theinterface cable is routed through a conversion aperture formed in thepanel body of the telecommunications patch panel.
 4. The system of claim2, wherein the first end of the interface cable includes an interfaceconnector that couples to the printed circuit board.
 5. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the cover includes indicators that visually indicatereceipt of a plug within an associated one of the jack openings.
 6. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the jack openings include a notch sized toreceive a contact element of a jack plug.
 7. The system of claim 6,further including jack plugs that are inserted into the jack openings ofthe cover and that engage the jacks mounted to the panel body, each ofthe jack plugs having a contact element.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein an electrical connection is established between the contactelement of the jack plugs and the printed circuit board when the jackplugs are inserted into the jack openings of the cover.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the printed circuit board includes contact elements,the contact elements of the printed circuit board being accessiblethrough the notch of the jack openings.
 10. The system of claim 7,wherein the printed circuit board defines a plurality of holes, theholes being arranged to permit the jack plugs to pass through theprinted circuit board to engage the jacks mounted to the panel body. 11.The system of claim 2, wherein the cover includes a latch that attachesthe cover to the front of the panel body.
 12. The system of claim 2,further including a scanning device having a scanner lead, the secondend of the interface cable being connected to the scanner lead of thescanning device.